COBRA: A cooperative breakdown prevention algorithm

Ever increasing traffic load on freeways calls for smart solutions to improve throughput. With the uprise and standardization of C-ITS, accuracy and latency of traffic state measurements are immensely improved, while the span of control is increased. In this paper, a traffic control algorithm that aims to prevent breakdown at recurring bottlenecks on freeways is presented. By using C-ITS to control connected vehicles and manipulate the traffic state upstream of bottlenecks, a breakdown and capacity drop can be prevented. To evaluate the developed control concept, a microscopic simulation study was performed. The controller was evaluated on both reductions in penetration rate and compliance to control signals. The results are promising, but further development is still required before real-world application is possible.Transport, Infrastructure and Logistic